One Year On! (The Celebration Week P1)

Greetings Martians, today is a day of celebration. Exactly one year ago today I started this blog, to kill a bit of spare time. Why? Because I love the show of course. In 2006 when Life On Mars began, I got to see the first episode around a week after it aired in Britain. Once I watched it, I was hooked. A friend (which I won't name) sent me a copy of it, thinking that this guy likes Doctor Who so he must like time travel period. The friend was right, I eventually purchased the Series 1 box set. The rest is history.

This week is not only a special week for the site, but for the show in general as well. On the 9th of January 2006, LOM received its premiere screening on BBC1 in the UK. So this website turns 1, and the show officially turns 2. Okay you can get the party balloons and streamers out now, well what are you waiting for? To celebrate the shows second birthday, I'm going to do something you probably thought was forgotten about long ago. What is that, you may ask? Series 1 episode breakdowns, as we like to call them here. The series 2 ones have been up for ages, but with all of the recent repeat treatment LOM has been receiving of late (especially in Australia where I live) I decided that its time to complete it.

2007 was a great year for LOM. We finally got to find out whether or not Sam was mad, in a coma or back in time. Rather confusing statement when we were all watching it for the first time, we thought those were the only options. What a brilliant piece of writing deception that turned out to be. Congratulations are in order for Graham, Pharoah and Jordan. You guys stooged us, good and proper in the most Twilight Zonesque way. Thank You. Other developments in 2007 included, the announcement of the US Remake by David E Kelley and the spinoff Ashes To Ashes (which is about to hit our screens soon).

The year though was not perfect, well not for this site in any case. 2007 saw the first official artwork theft for this site, the announcement made quite a stir throughout the LOM fan world. It also brought with it sympathy from people who been affected in a similar way by the perpetrators, lets hope this stops. But I guess that's wishful thinking. Now I need to offer some thank yous to all of the people who have helped contribute to the site (and A2A.tv) over this last crazy year.

Firstly I would like to thank Fran Davies (from Philip Glenister Index & Dean Andrews Official Site), without your support Fran I probably would have given up a long time ago, cheers. Secondly Mr Mike Bosworth. Mike sent me numerous amounts of pics, info and other items surrounding the spin off Ashes To Ashes. Thirdly Badwolf, BW was one of the original guys visiting the site. He was always quick to report anything he found out to me, thanks dude. BW and I later partnered in the now discontinued site John Simm PR, I also contributed to some of his other sites as well. Other noteworthy people include, Dawn from (Fab Cards), Jack Harkness X2 (the one from Torchwood.tv & the one from DrWho News), Mark from Tardis & Torchwood Treasures, Rhys, Gaz, Cpotey and last but not least George Frangeskakis. George came as quite a surprise, as he hasn't even watched the show!

If I have missed anyone, I am truly sorry. Before I go any further, I'll point out the obvious. The P1 on the end of the post title, its there for a reason. There will be several posts this week to celebrate the occasion, the majority of them will be site related and will include downloads for you all to enjoy. Desktops, avatars and even a jigsaw are some of things set for the next couple of posts. Series 1 breakdowns too, of course.

'Til next time Martians, peace and may the countdown to A2A commence right . . . . . . . . . . . . now!




Cyberman

The Rules Of Modern Policing x2

I suppose you are all wondering what the times 2 stands for, aren't you? Well if you already know, skip the next couple of lines in this post. The times 2 on the end of the post title, basically stands for the 2 different versions of this stunning new book by Gene. When Season 2 commenced in Britain, this book was released as promo for the series (it only had a few pages in it and had a green cover). The book has now been re-released so to speak as a 128 page book, supposedly authored by Gene himself. Well Phil did you write it? I suspect not, in fact I know not the book was actually written by Guy Adams. Guy is the man responsible for the (well one of them) seasons one and two companion books, which are currently available.

"The Rules Of Modern Policing"
Original Version (GREEN) - New Version (BROWN)

Both versions of the book come with authentic coffee stains, for increased realism. The new version was released on the 8th of October 2007, the original I suspect was released on 13th of February. I sincerely doubt it was in 1973 though. The original will more than likely become a collectors item. If you are interested in getting yourself a copy of the original, there are several for sale on ebay.co.uk (at present) at quite reasonable prices. Mark from Tardis & Torchwood Treasures (or TATT for short) has quite graciously sent in a copy of the poster, currently being used to advertise the new version of the book in bus shelters. For those of you interested in Doctor Who as well as LOM, Mark has quite an exceptional site which is well worth your investigation. The site is generally updated daily, so is always current unlike many other WHO sites. Below you can see the ad in all its glory, thanks Mark.


British Bus Shelter Advertisement
for "The Rules Of Modern Policing"

The book is available at all the usual outlets online, Amazon, BBCShop, etc and of course not forgetting (as in the poster) W H Smith. Will you be getting a copy? I know I will. 'Til next time Martians peace and remember if you're going to do it, do it by the book.



Cyberman

New Merchandise Out, More On The Way!

Greetings Martians, 2 posts back I showed you the Complete Series Box Set which I happened to miss. Oh well it happens, so because of that I decided to make it my mission to find you more as I didn't really have much to say about it. After some "Hunting", I came across the 2008 Calendar which is already too. It came out on the 1st of September, according to Amazon.co.uk. What can I say it looks great, and at the moment is being discounted from £7.99 to £4.99. Good reason to get one, I say.

Another cool thing I came across was some "Guv" tshirts, at DJTees.com. The best part about their site is they deliver for free, world wide. Yay, so even someone like myself down in Australia will be paying the same. I like that idea. They are available in many different colours and styles of tshirts. Short sleeve ones are £17.99 and long sleeve are only an extra £2.00.

Finally coming out just in the nick of time for Christmas, we have the Series Two Companion Book. This is available for pre-order over at Amazon.co.uk. If you order it now, you'll get it for £10.19 when its out. Or wait until the release date and you'll more than likely pay the recommended retail, which is £16.99. So worth the pre-order if you want it. Bellow you can find some pics of the items, and they all look great. I know where my money's going. 'Til next time Martians peace, and may the merchandise be with you. After all we've waited long enough for it.

(LOM 2008 Calendar)


(GUV Tshirt - Available in many colours and styles)



(Series 2 LOM Companion Book)



Cyberman

Complete Series Box Set

I knew it was coming up soon Martians, but it appears I missed something. Tsk, tsk silly me. Whilst reporting this way back of the 25th of April, I mentioned the Complete Series Box Set was due to come out on the 24th of September 2007. Well it was, but obviously due to demand it was pushed forward to the 10th of September so I missed it sneaky Contender Entertainment.

I had various promises made to me by staff there, but unfortunately was lead up the garden path (so to speak). I can provide you with a picture of the box, but technical details at present are not appearing any where. This even includes Contender's own website. This may not be intentional, as from scanning there website they have recently been purchased by a US firm, so a lot of things may be up in the air at the moment.

All I can really do here today, is show you the box. I can also advise you that its a 8 set, other than that zero. A bit disappointing, but you'll get over it. I did, here it is.

Life On Mars - The Complete Series (Box Set 8 DVDs)

More on the set, as it comes to hand. Hopefully that's before I get my copy. 'Til next time Martians, peace and the special features be special because the box itself ain't that special. But that's just me.



Cyberman

Can You Believe the Cheek of It Guv?

Greetings Martians, in the past I have endeavoured to bring you news about Life On Mars merchandise. From the legitimate "official", to hand made as well as counterfeit. I have done this for the reason that there is very little "official" merchandise available. On top of all this I commenced making desktops for fans of the site, I put out 3 different ones to date those being of Sam Tyler, Gene Hunt and Annie Cartwright.

If you would like a copy of each these, they can be located in the Downloads section of the site. You may also be aware that the Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt desktops I did 2 different versions. The originals were out of perspective, so I corrected them and replaced them on the site here.

I guess you are all wondering where all of this is going aren't you? Well one of you out there, knows exactly what I am talking about already. I'm still speaking cryptically aren't I? Ok I'll get to the point somebody has decided to take those desktops of Sam and Gene, remove the Life On Mars.tv logo and sell them as posters. Yes they have, you can check it out for yourselves if you like. Whats funny though is the fact that who ever did this, did so with the originals of the pictures (which were out of perspective). Pure Genius! You can find this dodgy merchandise over at ebay.co.uk. A direct link is here, and if you don't mind telling the merchant that these are not his / her "own" designs it would be most appreciated.

Also who ever you are, you forgot Annie. I doubt if Liz White will be offended though. 'Til next time Martians peace, and in future all images will be watermarked, grrrrrrrrrrr.

Life On Mars In Australia.

On Sunday the 20th of May 2007 at 8.30pm, Australia finally gets to see season one of LifeOnMars. I say finally because I actually live there myself, and have been writing this blog since January 2007. That's right folks, with the series completely over now. With fans looking forward to the spin off series Ashes To Ashes, ABC Australia has finally bowed to the pressure and decided to screen it. Three cheers ABC, yay!

You sensed sarcasm there didn't you? Well sorry, I discovered this show over a year ago, what took the ABC so long? Best known to them I suppose, well their programmers at least.

With a title like "Life On Mars In Australia", you would expect that this post would have a bit more to share than simply just the Australian TV premiere date, wouldn't you? Well you would be right then, in addition to this I also have news of the Australian DVD release date for Season One. The DVD is being released through Village Roadshow on the 1st of August 2007, with a (MA15+) rating for "strong sex scene". This is more than likely because of the topless scene in episode four, where Sam meets Mark Warren the Night Club owner and extortionist.

The DVD is currently available on pre-order through EZY DVD's website. If you can't wait that long however, you can always get yourself a copy of the Zone 2 release of either the Season One or Season Two Box sets from Sendit.com via the advertisement at the top of the page. Remember though Australian Martians, we are Zone 4 and the imported discs will only play on a world zone player. Delivery from Sendit.com, usually takes under a week to Australia, provided that the item is in stock.

'Til next time Martians, peace and Australians, is he mad, in a comma or back in time? The puzzle will start to unravel next Sunday night at 8.30pm on ABC.

Cheers,




Cyberman

DCI Merchandise Hunt or (Genes' Hunt for Collectables)

A strangely titled post, yes? Well, you should be used to that by now, coming here any way. Today's post is about the very small amount of official merchandise, which is available currently for LifeOnMars. When a show such as LifeOnMars becomes as hugely successful as it has normally, we are generally bombarded with merchandise both official, unofficial and counterfeit. LifeOnMars, seems to be an exception to this rule. Let's hope that changes, we want LOM collectibles.

At present, the only official merchandise seems to be the 2 DVD box sets, the CD soundtrack album, a 2007 calendar, the companion book (1973 Annual), some photos / mini-posters and the yet to be released "Complete Series Box set DVD Collection". Not a great deal of goodies, really is it? Wheres' the Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt action figures BBC? You know the ones where you get Season One and Season Two versions of each character, as well 1973 and 2006 Edition packaging. Perhaps even a Camberwick Green Series (I keep pushing this, I know its because they were brilliant)?

Take Two, I've just found a site on ebay.co.uk, that has rulers, fridge magnets, mouse pads, key rings, wall clocks, bottle openers and coasters. Still, I would have still expected more than what I have mentioned though. Any way Martians if you are wanting LOM Merchandise, I have compiled a short list below. The list contains both official and unofficial merchandise, no counterfeited goods will be endorsed by this site. In other words if you've ripped the soundtrack or done something similar and are planning on selling copies, don't expect endorsement here. Its just not going to happen. Here is the list of all your LOM goodies.


LifeOnMars Merchandise:


All official Merchandise, dvds, cds and books - BBC Shop

Mini Posters and Photographs - Movie Market

DVDs - Sendit.com

Wall Clocks, Rulers, Key rings, Coasters, etc . . - Fortress GB

Personalised Greeting Cards - Fab Cards

Calendars - Star Store.com

Life On Mars T-shirts - Poegoth

Key rings, mugs and t-shirts - Size Does Matter


Plus of course the download-ables:


The script to Season One Episode One in PDF Format - BBC Writers Room

Desktops, mobile desktops, screensavers, sounds and desktop applications - BBC Official Life On Mars Site

Banners, Icons and Avatars - Life On Mars Icons

Fan Episode Transcripts - The Annotated Martian

Online Role Play Game - Life On Mars RP



'Til next time Martains, peace.



Cyberman

Martian Merchandise

So far we've seen the release of the season one and season two dvd box sets, as well as a book (1973 Annual) and a soundtrack cd. A lot of you out there are saying that's not enough, I want tshirts, video games, toys, audio books and other stuff. Well part of that wish has come true.

The company "Size Does Matter" has come to the rescue with interesting interpretations of our favourite characters Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt. Currently they are offering online via their ebay.co.uk page, tshirts, mugs and key rings with various different captions. I would personally be hoping that they also offer warmer versions (long sleeve tshirts, windcheaters and jackets) as well, excellent start any way guys.

You can find all of the cool gear they have available at SizeDoes' Ebay Store. Lets hope the merchandise doesn't stop here. I am personally hoping for a second soundtrack cd and some of the "Hot Animation" characters, from the Camberwick Green sequence to be produced as figurines. They rock, come BBC people want 'em!

Whilst I speculate about merchandise, one thing for certain is the release of the complete series (seasons one and two) on dvd on the 24th of September 2007. It will be interesting to see if the dvd set includes additional special features over the individual season releases. Maybe it will have a sneak peek at Ashes To Ashes, while we all wait eagerly for its broadcast.



'Til next time, Martians peace. "Does anyone have any Garibaldies?"



Cyberman

Easter On Mars

Happy Easter Martians / Lifers, from LifeOnMars.tv. Instead of getting us all chocolate Sam Tyler's, the BBC have decided to give us the final episode of Life On Mars on Tuesday 10th of April 2007. After this and my final episode breakdown, the direction of the site will start to change focus.

A few posts back, I put up brief episode synopses of Season One to help you remember the series as a whole. I did this for two reasons, to refresh your memories of Sam's journey and also to help you vote in the poll. Well, I'm going to expand on them so as they end up like the Second Series ones.

In addition to this, I will start bringing you more news about the proposed spin off Ashes To Ashes. When or if it appears. I will also continue to bring you news about David E Kelly's US Re-imagining, as it comes to hand. Merchandise will no doubt continue to be released, and I will report on this to you as well.

All our questions about Sam will soon be answered. Will this be the end of Sam's adventures though? There are many stories about Sam, that could still be told. Perhaps novels bridging the gaps between episodes will appear. This has been the case with Doctor Who, why not Life On Mars? The count down now commences, 'til Sam's fate is known, Hyde is coming to get you . . . . . . . .


Cyberman

Season Two Episode Seven - Part One (The Breakdown)

I usually don't do this, but this time around I'm going to start this "Breakdown" with a warning. To all our Canadian visitors, read the previous post not this one. Why because you'll otherwise partly spoil this weeks episode. That's right folks, Canada is only trailing the UK by one episode. This week you find out what ultimately happens to Sam Tyler, our Canadian friends will find out next week. Life On Mars screens Wednesdays at 10.00pm, on BBC Canada.

Now that's out of the way, the "Breakdown". We start in a courtroom for a change, instead of Sam's dreams where Gene is acting as a witness for the prosecution. The case in court, centres on an assault. The victim feels intimidated in court and ends up denying the beating, the case is then thrown out.

Gene is majorly pissed, and that's in both senses of the word. Angry and drunk. He decides to stumble over to the perpetrators house and starts screaming abuse at him. Sam arrives on the scene to pick up Gene, but in the confusion Genes gun goes missing. After leaving with Sam, Gene decides to go back to retrieve his gun. Falls asleep at the perpetrators house, only to wake up and find him murdered.

Of course Gene is then suspected, he had motive, may be. All of this sets the scene for the episode. It was interesting to see a Gene-centric episode, I quite liked it. Perhaps it was a taste that the BBC was giving us, of what to expect from Ashes to Ashes. The clothes will obviously be different, but you know what I mean. Hmmm, here's hoping.

Some interesting moments in the episode are when at different stages, we get to see both Annie, then Gene wearing a "Safety Squirrel" costume. Sam is also given an indication that he will be going home soon, this comes from DCI Morgan. Morgan is an overseer put on from Hyde because of Genes' predicament.

As the episode progresses, we find Gene becoming the prime suspect in another murder. Of course Gene is proven innocent in the end, but I'm not going to explain to you how it happens. You should know already. If you don't, remember the dvd box set of Season Two is released on April the 16th.

Right now, if you pre-order it from Sendit.com, you get it for only £25.89 when its released. A saving of £14.10, now that's worth it. I got my order in, I can just see it next to my copy of Season One right now. 'Til next time Lifers / Martians, may peace and memories of '73 be with you.




Cyberman

A "Lifeless" week in the UK . . . . . .

Well, the title sounded good anyway I thought. Usually by now I would have posted the episode breakdown, for Tuesdays installment of LOM. Sadly it wasn't, due to the common television network practice of replacing shows with football (soccer to everyone else in the world). Don't get me wrong, I don't despise sport. I just don't like it interfering with my tv viewing.

Oh well, it'll just make make fans more eager to watch LOM, when its on next week. By the way I hope all you people out there, who are eligible to enter (ie: you live in the United Kingdom) have headed over to the BBC Four Site to enter their competition, mentioned earlier on this site. To refresh your memories, the BBC are offering two chances to win a copy of the season one dvd, the cd soundtrack and the behind the scenes book.

The competition closes on March the 13th, so if you haven't entered yet, you better do so quickly or that day may spell bad luck. Well? What are you doing? Ok, here is the address again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/competition/competition_page8.shtml



Go on, you know you want to.

Cyberman

Free Mars Anyone?

BBC Four are currently running an online competition for residents of the UK, where by you have a chance to win the DVD Boxset of Season One, plus the soundtrack CD and a behind the scenes book (more than likely the book, mentioned in the previous post). The competition is open from now until the 13th of March 2007, so come on Lifers get it together and head on down to http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/competition/competition_page8.shtml and enter.

As you may have noticed, I have not posted any episode critique of episode two. I have done this on purpose, so as not to spoil the story for it its BBC One premiere on the 20th. I will though, post some more screen dumps of the episode, as a bit of a tease. Sorry, that's just me.